One More Sonnet

Tag: Poetry

  • Photo Booth

    Photo Booth

    In the photo booth, she laughs at odd contortions,
    Stretches her familiar disposition.
    Her elastic features, pulled into new proportions,
    At the edge of recognition.
    In the photo booth, she winks a new expression,
    Explores a new contortion,
    Her playful eyes leave a deep impression,
    There’s courage in her caution.
    In the photo booth, she nods another mischief,
    Smiles at its extortions,
    Her amusement is her image,
    Not one but many portions.
    In every image captured there’s never one the same,
    A diamond has its facets … many to its name.

    Tim Grace, 9 March 2010

    To the reader: Image is the luminous quality in the projection of self. In this context, a teenager’s experimentation with style is a passionate pursuit; an obsession giving polish to personal branding. Contorted facial experiments deliver some strange results that beyond amusement reveal a lot about character. The familiar face pulled into a curious form is interesting to read for its deeper emotional meaning… who is she when not herself?

    To the poet: In form this is a sonnet, but forced rhyming arrangements pull uncomfortably at its structure. Around the rhyming features of ‘contortion’ there are repeated references; stretched awkwardly across the body of the poem. Although the poem is weak on technical perfection, there are times when an imperfect structure can assist in the successful construction of a fractured theme.

    Photo Booth Photo Booth
  • Thees and Thous

    Thees and Thous

    He too can speak in thees and thous,
    As he vents his anger’s rage,
    The English language thus allows,
    For the poet to engage.
    In a tirade of words contorted,
    He canst tarry in literal combat.
    Upon his words assorted,
    He doth stake his claim to that!
    Thine, at this point, mightst be confused
    As to the merit of this prattle.
    Simply put the poet has refused,
    To take his smallest guns to battle.
    He taketh to the challenge a cavalry of terms
    Exhumed from antiquity …. and riddled with worms!

    © Tim Grace, February 2010

     

    To the reader: In many respects this sonnet is a nonsense verse built upon an exploration of subjunctive word play. At some point in development the boundaries of prattle and battle met; and from here the poem gained its underlying theme. The enraged sonneteer has at disposal a cavalry of terms well designed for the expression of righteous indignation; albeit pretentious. The pompous victory speech is just a verb away from mockery.

    To the poet: Use of the subjunctive verb, as archaic as it might be, is an essential poetic tool. When managed well, the subjunctive phrase enables a bending of grammatical rules in favor of poetic licence. Shakespeare, the sonneteer, employed the subjunctive twist to help him better conform to, and play with, the five-footed stressed rules of iambic pentameters. Inventing quasi (somewhat plausible) subjunctive verbs and phrases is a skill well learnt but judiciously applied.

    Thees and Thous Thees and Thous